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Author Notes: I came up with this recipe after making traditional potato gnocchi. I wanted to find a use for some sweet potatoes we had but also wanted to take this delicious potato dumpling into a different direction and incorporate some whole grains. The important thing with gnocchi is not to overwork the dough or you lose that delicious pillow-like texture. Sweet potatoes have alot of moisture in them so this is a stcky dough. Don't worry, it should be and you will work more flour into it as you roll out the dough. The cinnamon buter coupled with the nutmeg in the gnocchi makes this a great side dish for fall. It pairs really well with pork roast. —piccantedolce

Serves 4-6

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Cinnamon Brown Butter

2pounds sweet potatoes

1 egg - lightly beaten

1cup whole wheat flour + more for rolling out dough

1/2cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/8teaspoon nutmeg

1tablespoon sea salt

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into aproximately 2" cubes. Pour an inch of water into a large pot and place a steamer basket in the pot. Place cut sweet potatoes into the steamer basket and steam for 30 minutes or until soft but not mushy.

Remove cooked potatoes to a large bowl. Mash wih a potato masher until there are no large chunks. You can use the food processor but I like the more rustic approach of doing it by hand and having some small pieces of potato. Let the mashed potatoes sit for 20 minutes to cool and allow some of the moisture evaporate.

After the sweet potatoes have cooled mix in the egg and nutmeg. Then add the flour 1/2 cup at a time alternating between the whole wheat and the white. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overwork the dough. The dough should be wet and sticky.

Liberally flour a cutting board or the counter, whatever surface you want to roll and cut the gnocchi on. Flour your hands and take a small (approximately 1/4 cup ) ball of dough. Gently roll the dough into a rope, about 3/4"-1" diameter. Cut with a sharp knife into 3/4"-1" pieces and set onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat with all of the dough.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to the boil water. Cafefully add gnocchi to the boiling water. Let cook until they start to float to the surface, 3-5 minutes. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon. Toss with Cinnamon Brown Butter and serve. If you don't want to cook all of the gnocchi right away, put the cookie sheet in the freezer for 1 hour until the gnocchi begin to harden, then transfer to a freezer-safe, air tight container.

Cinnamon Brown Butter & Whipped Mascarpone

1/4pound salted butter

1 cinnamon stick

black pepper to taste

1/2cup Mascarpone cheese

1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cut butter into cubes. Place butter and cinnamon stick into a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the butter is melted, stirring constantly, until it turns light brown. Remove from heat. It will continue to brown even after it's removed from the heat

Remove the cinnamon stick. Toss brown butter with gnocchi, adding pepper to taste. Additional salt can be added but if you use salted butter it sholdn't be neccessary.

Whip the Mascarpone and ground cinnamon with a whisk until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Top each serving of gnocchi with a dollop of whipped Mascarpone.